Madelyn Beck
Madelyn Beck is a regional Illinois reporter, based in Galesburg. On top of her work for Harvest Public Media, she also contributes to WVIK, Tri-States Public Radio and the Illinois Newsroom collaborative.
Beck grew up on a small cattle ranch in Manhattan, Montana. Her previous work was mostly based in the western U.S., but she has covered agriculture, environment and health issues from Alaska to Washington, D.C.
Before joining Harvest and the Illinois Newsroom, she was as an energy reporter based in Wyoming for the public radio collaborative Inside Energy. Other publications include the Idaho Mountain Express, E&E News/EnergyWire, KRBD Rainbird Radio, the Montana Broadcasters Association, Montana Public Radio and the Tioga Tribune.
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COVID-19 cases are increasing in most of the country, but it’s hard to say how much. That's due to at-home tests and vaccines, which mean fewer people need to go to a doctor for a diagnoses or aid. These are good signs, but they also make it hard to track the virus, which can be stressful for people who are immunocompromised or can’t get the vaccine.
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This year’s strain of the bird flu is still killing birds in our region, from poultry to hawks. Officials hope the virus dies out later this summer, but until then, they urge bird owners to use good hygiene practices and to protect the birds from other wild species. To report sick or dead livestock, contact agriculture officials. To report sick or dead wild birds, contact your state wildlife officials.
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This fire year is on track to be as extreme as the last few. At the same time, some Forest Service areas have had a hard time hiring enough wildland firefighters.
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Agencies like the Forest Service often use contract airplanes to drop fire retardant on wildfires. If resources fall short, though, a specialized team of military personnel can help. This year is shaping up to be another extreme fire season, so having this backup may be especially helpful.
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The Mountain West is as divided on abortion as the nation, itself. States like Colorado have passed legislation to preserve access to abortion, but several others intend to outlaw the practice as soon as possible. That may be sooner than later, given a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that calls for Roe v. Wade to be overturned.
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PFAS chemicals are in some ski waxes, which then get into the environment, groundwater and even our bodies, possibly causing health issues. Now, a partnership between a Colorado wax company and college students has resulted in a take-back program.
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The Mountain West is known for big blue skies. But several cities here are among the nation’s worst for short-term air pollution levels, according to a new American Lung Association study. Wildfire smoke is an increasing factor, but so is smog from growing cities across the region.
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The Interior Department is reopening lease sales on public lands. However, the agency announced that it was 80% less acreage than the oil and gas industry nominated for leasing. The Interior also increased royalty rates.
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New research in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that teens haven’t used more illegal drugs over the last decade. However, they are dying from drug overdoses at twice the rate.
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The Pentagon has announced that a new nuclear design is going to be assembled in our region. It’s called Project Pele, and it aims to produce a mobile nuclear microreactor.